The Role of Hypnosis in Psychotherapy

The Role of Hypnosis in Psychotherapy

Abstract:

This paper looks at the role of hypnosis in psychotherapy and how cognitive hypnotherapy can help individuals who suffer from depression that does not respond to medication therapy.

Many people suffer from chronic and debilitating depression that does not go away with antidepressant medication treatment. Fortunately, many of these individuals respond to psychotherapy combined with hypnosis. Cognitive hypnotherapy utilizes cognitive behavior therapy combined with hypnosis, and improves the lives of individuals suffering from depression.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a science dedicated to relieve emotional stress while promoting personal growth and development. The modern movement in psychotherapy is to increase efficiency and to bring results as quickly as possible. Today, most people can't afford to sit on a therapists couch five days a week for years on end. Cognitive hypnotherapy can be utilized to create and solidify the rapport between the therapist and client, and speed up recovery time by initiating positive change (Sunnen).

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a trance-like state usually established by hypnosis, or hypnotic trance (Lynn S, Fassler O, Knox J, 2005, p. 39). Hypnosis is enacted by a series of suggestions, and can be created by a hypnotist, hypnotherapist, or by the person being hypnotized (self hypnosis). Today, hypnosis can be used in psychotherapy; in fact, studies have demonstrated that hypnosis may treat chronic pain, depression, poor study habits, as well as help people quit smoking (Barrett, Deirdre, 2001, p.1).

The question is, how affective is the use of hypnosis in dealing with mental health issues, such as depression? Chronic and clinical depression is one of the most widely psychiatric disorders treated by mental health care professionals. In fact, the World Health Organization believes that in the year 2020, depression will only be second to chronic heart disease and become a worldwide health problem (Alladin, 2009, p. 245).

Depression is a complicated disorder that attacks millions of individuals every year. Depression can impair an individual's ability to function in society. In fact, depression can cause weight gain, weight loss, sleep disturbances, memory problems, loss of interests in activities, feelings of worthlessness, and constant sadness. Although some people respond well to antidepressant therapy, others experience adverse side affects or receive no relief from medication therapy (Alladin, 2009, p. 245).

In the study, "Meditation With Yoga, Group Therapy With Hypnosis, and Psychoeducation for Long-Term Depressed Mood: A Randomized Pilot Trial," the effects of meditation with yoga was compared to the effects of group therapy with hypnosis. This study reported that the use of hypnosis alone produced a 62 percent remission rate for individuals suffering from chronic depression (Butler, L & Waelde, L, 2008).

In another study, it was reported that hypnosis was an effective way to help clients reduce intense negative emotions. In fact, according to the study, there were significant reductions in intensity levels of negative emotions after having hypnosis. In other words, hypnosis helped them to forgive and forget, so they could get on with their lives (Bin Ahmad, Kamarul Zaman, 2011).

According to Mattias Mende, brain imaging taken on individuals in the hypnosis state provides evidence of the efficacy of using hypnosis in psychotherapy. In fact, Mathias believes that hypnosis should be integrated into various psychotherapy approaches, because it also helps build empathy and attunement with the client, as well as guiding the perception of subjective reality and the attention (Gruzelier & Burkhard, 2009, p. 130).

Cognitive Hypnotherapy

Clinicians are constantly looking for other ways to treat depression. According to Alladin (2009), Cognitive Hypnotherapy (CH) is a multimodal treatment for depression, which uses hypnosis as an adjunctive treatment with cognitive therapy. For treatment of clinical depression, CH is practiced for 16 sessions, which can be done weekly or spread over a four to six month period.

The initial session for CH is dedicated to an assessment of the client, and in sessions two thru five cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is practiced. After the CBT segment, the hypnosis section starts. The hypnotherapy segment focuses on relaxation, producing somatosensory changes, demonstrate the power of the mind, expanding awareness, strengthening the ego, providing self-hypnosis training and posthypnotic suggestion (Alladin, p. 247).

Relaxation

The relaxation training helps individuals who suffer from depression learn how to cope with high levels of anxiety. According to David Dozois, Pamela Seeds, and Kerry Collins, 50 percent to 76 percent of depressed clients have high levels of anxiety (2009, p. 44).

Somatosensory Changes

According to Alladin, the best way to change an experience is by making a new experience, and hypnosis achieves that by creating syncretic cognition (p. 248). This process helps clients feel relaxed, comforted, and warm, and proves to them that they can alter their feelings of depression (Alladin).

Demonstrate the Power of the Mind

Demonstrating the power of the mind gives depressed clients ability to make changes in their body by using their thoughts. According to Alladin, this process helped a 55-year-old electronic engineer to overcome his anxiety and depression when dealing with his social phobia (p. 248).

Expanding Awareness

Individuals who suffer from depression are constantly attacked with their depressive symptoms, and this narrows their range of emotions. "Hypnosis provides a method for expanding awareness and amplifying experience" (Alladin, p. 249). This is accomplished by suggesting to the client while they are in a hypnotic trance that they become aware of a specific feeling, and that they can now describe